Media Design School was founded in 1998 to provide trained graduates for creative, design, digital and technological companies so that they could respond to the opportunity of a rapidly expanding global industry.

As pioneers in the creative technology education sector, we were the first tertiary institution in the Southern Hemisphere to offer a dedicated programme of study for 3D animation using industry-standard computer graphics software. We were also the first school in New Zealand to provide a specialised games course for aspirational game developers.

In 2011, Media Design School became a part of Laureate International Universities, the world's largest private university group. This enabled Media Design School to access faculty and resources across design universities such as NABA Milano, located in Milan, and Torrens University Australia.

Located on Albert Street in the Auckland CBD, Media Design School has developed a global reputation for excellence in the creative industries. In 2017, Media Design School’s Bachelor of Media Design gained additional international recognition when the school was ranked by The Rookies as the world’s top tertiary provider for both Graphic Design and Photography by a panel of internationally renowned judges, beating 500 other schools from 77 countries for these top honours.

Our faculty and students have cemented Media Design School’s reputation as New Zealand’s most awarded tertiary provider for digital and creative technology qualifications by creating work that is consistently regarded among the very best in the world.

In 2016, Accidents, Blunders and Calamities (2015), a film worked on by Media Design School’s third year Bachelor of Art and Design students, won numerous awards including the Best Animated Film Award at the San Diego Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival 2016; the Best Editor at the Show Me Shorts Film Festival (2015), the People’s Choice Award (Show Me Shorts 2015) and the Jury’s Choice award at the SIGGRAPH Asia Computer Animation Festival Awards (2016).

The school’s teaching style is also very much directed by current industry trends. Not only is Media Design School the only school in New Zealand to have partnered with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe’s PlayStation First Academic Development Programme, we are also Unity Technology’s first and only Training and Certification Partner in New Zealand. These two key industry partnerships give our Bachelor of Creative Technologies and the Bachelor of Software Engineering a unique point of difference when they graduate.

As creative technology changes and adapts, so too have Media Design School's courses. In October 2016, Media Design School became the first tertiary provider in New Zealand to offer a qualification with a dedicated stream focusing on two of the world’s biggest emerging technologies: Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality (VR/AR).